Evil Dragon, Without a Princess, I Had to Transform Myself!-Chapter 79 : Dragon and Dragon

Sometimes even Patunasankus herself found it hard to comprehend her sudden actions.
Of course, she often wondered what meaning all these trivial matters held for her now.
Pondering deeply always led to one inevitable conclusion—utter meaninglessness.
Patunasankus had always known what she, as an evil dragon, ought to do. She knew it well.
Just like in the past—burning, killing, and pillaging everywhere, crowning herself amidst death and fear, terrifying all living beings under the name of the "Black Death."
Yet she had never done any of it. Not once.
Patunasankus didn’t know what madness had taken hold of her, nor why she felt such joy at receiving the same praise as Latifa.
Whenever she thought of this, the evil dragon’s lips would curl into an unconscious smile—a trait that also reminded her so much of...
Even when she simply closed her eyes, a little sprite bathed in natural radiance would appear in her mind, leaping toward her on the gentle southern wind, her silhouette merging with the sunlight, as if transforming into a halo that encircled her.
Visual memory comes in two forms.
One is when you open your eyes, and the mirror of reality is clearly imprinted on the canvas of your mind.
The other is when you gently close your eyes, sinking into the quiet darkness, and suddenly recall a presence—a face so lovely, entirely reconstructed from your visual memory.
Vague yet achingly familiar, glowing, she always seemed so enchanting.
"Fell asleep again..."
Patunasankus drowsily lifted her head, her face still marked with the creases from her hand. She glanced at Loranhir, who was fast asleep by the campfire. The night had grown deep.
The last leg of their journey had passed without incident—so smoothly, in fact, that the evil dragon had nearly died of boredom, choosing instead to sleep straight through until now.
Loranhir wore a simple, plain nightgown, sleeping so soundly that her brows were furrowed, occasionally murmuring a few words in her dreams—Yanubi’s name—before kicking at the blankets as if fleeing for her life.
Patunasankus was certain the girl was happily playing with Yanubi in her dreams and had no intention of disturbing her.
As a part-time Dragon Feast priestess, she knew exactly what was happening. When a Dragon warrior swallowed a dragon heart but failed to fully tame its power, this was the result—no weakening, no submission, just biding time until the moment came to burn the executor’s body and soul from within.
Whenever Loranhir kicked the blankets off in her sleep, Patunasankus would idly pull them back over her.
"Don’t embarrass me," Patunasankus muttered to Loranhir before standing up, ready to go back to sleep.
But before she could take more than a few steps, she suddenly stopped—because Isha had just sent her a message.
Patunasankus had always kept her notifications muted in the past, ignoring them entirely. It was only recently, after asking the other to keep an eye on a certain little one, that she’d reactivated them.
Clearly, something had happened.
Patunasankus blinked, scanning the message, and her attention instantly locked onto one name.
She didn’t bother reading any other details—her eyes were fixed on just the name:
[Liulansankus]Patunasankus was thoroughly displeased in every possible way. After a moment of silence, she glanced at Loranhir, who was currently playing happily with Yanubi, and muttered under her breath.
"It shouldn't be a big problem if I leave for a short while. Keep playing for now."
"Damn dragon, don't let me catch you!"
With a furrowed brow, Patunasankus vanished from sight in an instant, followed by a swift whirlwind that kicked up clouds of dust before shooting into the sky.
By the crackling orange flames of the campfire,
Loranhir kicked off the blanket that had just been tucked around her and shifted into a more comfortable sleeping position.
Her dreams grew deeper.
○
Lord Patunasankus did not respond.
Isha stood in place, flanked by several kneeling dragonkin scouts from the nest.
Their expressions were tense, clearly having encountered someone they couldn't afford to provoke.
"My lord, any news?"
"With her there, none of us dare approach."
The dragonkin scouts grew increasingly anxious. The task entrusted to them was on the verge of failure. Without the Princess present, any monster servant who made a mistake would undoubtedly be roasted to a crisp by the evil dragon—a common occurrence in the past.
"Don't panic. I know you're anxious, but stay calm."
Isha remained as expressionless as ever, her movements minimal as usual.
She could persistently send a few more messages to remind her master of the current situation.
But it was highly likely that her master had simply left her "do not disturb" mode on—another common occurrence, one Isha had long grown accustomed to.
Not to mention, she had recently provoked her master. Isha faintly understood the reason but didn't know how to ease her master's worries.
The dragonkin scouts' helplessness was something Isha could empathize with. She knew the current situation was indeed tricky. After all, she had never expected to encounter Lady Liulan here again.
Logically, a grand collector like Liulansankus had no reason to appear in such a place.
Yet here she was, heading straight for the little girl Patunasankus had explicitly ordered them to keep a close eye on.
Aside from them, the only other guardian was an oathbreaker knight. Against Liulan, he wouldn't last a minute.
Aside from Patunasankus herself, Isha couldn't think of anyone who could stop Liulan.
Nor did she know what this grand collector was scheming.
What could possibly pique Liulan's interest, aside from the Princess?
Then, a thought—sudden and entirely unfounded—popped into Isha's head.
"Could she be a princess too?"
Isha muttered.
○
Clang, clang clang clang clang!
In the darkness, Hedica swung her blade like a lion, the long, narrow shadow of her sword flickering sharply through the air.
Each of her slashes carried a faint silver arc. Her razor-sharp blade, capable of cleaving iron, seemed to strike something of unimaginable hardness, sending a shower of sparks flying.
Hedica's expression was one of extreme tension. This unknown assailant, who had inexplicably targeted Her Highness, was terrifyingly powerful—unprecedentedly so.Amidst the battle, Hedica panted heavily, her crimson eyes fixed unwaveringly on the figure before her, yet her words were directed at the little girl she was protecting. "Princess Serina, run!"
The girl called Serina seemed paralyzed with fear, her mind blank, rooted to the spot without moving.
"Not bad."
Liulan stretched lazily, then examined her smooth nails with a satisfied nod.
She had to admit, the nail technician's craftsmanship was unusually good. The 'Eternal Frozen Mist' was pleased.
"As a nail file, you pass," Liulan remarked.
Her flat tone carried an unmistakable hint of mockery.
Hedica ignored the taunt, leaping high to slash at Liulan's head.
"You're not the one I'm looking for. Don't waste my time," Liulan said dismissively, clapping her hands lightly. With a flick of her wrist, as if swatting a fly, Hedica was sent flying. The brute force of an ancient dragon was simply unreasonable.
"I could smell the stench of hellish sulfur from miles away. Thought it was some devil at first," Liulan mused, taking a few steps forward until she stood before the little girl. "Turns out, I found a princess instead."
"Serina Vilenta. I thought I'd never see you again after the fall of Babelon's capital. Hmm... You're much smaller than I remember, and your head doesn't seem to work too well either. No matter, you'd make a fine addition to a mini exhibition hall."
Liulan muttered to herself, reaching out to grab Serina.
In the little girl's eyes, all she saw was the sharp, looming nail growing larger.
The sheer speed of the motion was terrifying even to witness. "Boom—" A massive impact followed, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Liulan paused, turning her head to look.
"Patunasankus," Liulan called out the newcomer's name. "Long time no see."
"No wonder I sensed your lackeys here. So you were lying in wait to kidnap this princess?"
Liulan tilted her head up to gaze at the colossal dragon before her, her tone indifferent, as if the sheer size difference meant nothing.
"Serina, Princess of the Magical Kingdom of Babelon, ranked Top 7 among princesses. Good taste. If she were in her adult form, she'd score a nine. Pity that's not possible."
Liulan smiled faintly, spreading her hands.
"Though I don't know why she's in the form of a little girl, up close, it's definitely her."
Patunasankus glanced at the girl, who seemed to have short-circuited from fright, but didn't react further. Instead, she shifted into her usual human form and strode right up to Liulan, locking eyes with her at such close range that their pupils nearly reflected each other.
"What I do is none of your concern," Patunasankus said.
"I thought you wouldn't be interested in any other princess besides that one princess," Liulan's smile vanished as quickly as it appeared, her reply laced with boredom.
"Yet here you are, kidnapping a new princess so soon. That does surprise me." Unfazed, she met his gaze head-on, arching a delicate eyebrow.
"What I do is none of your damn business, you wretched dragon."Patunasankus averted her gaze, feeling that Liulan's words were utterly punch-worthy. Her temper flared, and if not for the little one present, she would have started a fight with Liulan right then.
After being snapped at by Patunasankus, Liulan covered the corner of her mouth with her hand.
"Ara~ I got scolded by the pitch-black one? How troubling~"
"Yes, I did it on purpose," Patunasankus said. "If it troubles you, then leave."
"Patuna, you really are... a wicked, mature evil dragon... hehehe." Liulan blinked seductively and deliberately yanked Patunasankus' hand toward her chest.
Patunasankus knew all too well—Liulan was toying with her. From afar, this evil dragon gave off the air of a frivolous sheltered noblewoman, but at her core, she was an utterly punch-worthy bitch of a dragon. Right now, she was probably scheming how to mess with her.
"Get lost," Patunasankus said succinctly.
"Tch, how boring." Liulan suddenly seemed to lose interest, her gaze drifting toward Serina, who was sitting on the ground, her eyes darting nervously between Liulan and Patunasankus.
"Planning to add her to your collection? If so, I wouldn't mind handing her over," Liulan said. "This one's bound to bring nothing but trouble anyway."
"That's my business. Don't concern yourself with it." Patunasankus maintained her hostile, low-affection attitude.
"She... isn't as good as her," Liulan stated bluntly to Patunasankus.
Patunasankus remained silent, fixing Liulan with an icy glare. The mountain breeze stirred her clothes and hair, making her appear serene—and lonely.
"I don't like you one bit, bitch dragon," she finally said.
"I don't like you either, pitch-black," Liulan replied.
"..."
The two dragons stared at each other, silence enveloping them.
Somehow, this had become the dynamic between the two evil dragons—mutual disdain.
Latifa had once tried to mediate between them, but strangely, the harder she worked to mend their relationship, the worse their conflicts became, escalating to the point of no return.
Liulan had to be honest.
When Patunasankus first told her she had a princess, her initial reaction had been scornful disbelief.
Liulan still remembered the scene vividly—when Patunasankus led her into the lair, into the garden where the princess was kept, proving she had indeed kidnapped a princess.
She had seen the girl.
The girl's eyes were as blue as the sky, and the sky itself seemed to frame her slender silhouette. Her oval face was soft and sweet, her smile capable of making dogwoods bloom in the dead of winter.
Liulan's knees had momentarily felt like reflections trembling on rippling water, her lips as parched as cracked sand.
"This is my princess," Patunasankus had told her. "These are my lilies."
"Yes," Liulan had murmured, unable to look away. "Yes, they're beautiful. So, so beautiful."